


How Matt came back into the Nelson family

by Nyena



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: mentions of fake drug use and Matt's suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29275779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyena/pseuds/Nyena
Summary: Matt doesn't like the story Foggy told about Matt checking himself into Rehab for a drug addiction to explain his absence after Midland circle but if the addiction shoe fits...
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Foggy walked up to the door to his parent's house and held his breath as we walked in. He hated this. He was purposely going to spin a huge lie to his own mom, the person he loved most in the world. She had taken Matt in and treated him like her third son from the second she met him when he had dragged him home for Thanksgiving. She had accepted him skinny, fiercely independent blind lost puppy and all. She deserved to know Matt was alive and she deserved to be told in person. Foggy walked into the kitchen and looked around. “Hey, mom are you here?” Foggy heard someone coming down the stairs. ”Frankie? Is that you? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Foggy walked and wrapped her in a hug. “Hey! Yeah no everything is fine, new job is still great, Marcy is great we moved in together last week actually.” Anna pushed him away and held him at arm's length looking him over. “Then what’s wrong? You didn’t just come up to talk, you're too busy for that these days.” Foggy sighed and allowed a sad smile. “You’re right I have some news that I didn’t want to tell you over the phone.” Anna released her son's shoulders. “Okay? Do I need to be concerned?” Foggy ran his hands through his hair hating how short it was now. “No not at all but we should sit.” Foggy gestured to the living room finally getting his mom to start moving. Once they were seated on opposite couches facing each other, Foggy loosened his tie and un did the top button on his collar. He hadn’t run this story by Matt or asked if he could tell his mom that he was alive but Matt had forfeited a few of his friendship boundaries and Foggy couldn’t just leave his mom thinking that Matt had just left. No matter how many times he told Karen that he believed Matt was dead he didn’t, not really. He hadn’t been able to tell his mom there was a chance that Matt was dead so he told her he had just disappeared after their fight when Nelson and Murdock went under. He also said that he hadn’t heard from him since Matt had slammed the door to the office yelling that Foggy was out of his life for good. “Frankie what is this about you’re kind of scaring me.” His mom’s voice brought him back to the present. “No need to be scared. It’s about Matt.” Anna gasped “I was starting to think I would never see him again or worse that he might be dead.” Foggy rubbed the back of his neck. He had practiced this he could do it. “ You know how I told you Matt ran away after our huge fight and said he didn’t want me in his life anymore? How I said I had no idea where he ran off to? Well I found him.”  
Anna widened her eyes in disbelief. “Is he alive? Is he okay?” Foggy glanced at a photo on the wall of Matt and him at graduation smiling holding their diplomas. Matt had been holding his diploma upside down and Foggy thinking it would make a funny picture let his mom take a few pictures before he told Matt. Thinking back on it Matt probably knew it was upside down, the dick. “Matt’s alive” Foggy said looking away from the photo “A little worse for wear but alive. When I say I found him it’s more like he found me. He called me out of the blue the other day.”  
Anna put her hands to her mouth in surprise “Where is he?”  
Foggy pushed his mouth into a thin line. “Rehab. He checked himself in and has been dealing with a lot of personal shit.” Anna started to cry a little  
“Rehab? For what? Why didn’t he tell us?” Foggy looked at his shoes hating that he had to keep going deeper into this lie. Honestly screw Matt but his mom deserved closure. “Alcoholism and some tougher shit that he asked me not to tell you about. He’s also taken a few attempts on his life. Life has to be pretty messed up to do that especially for someone as catholic as him” Anna sat in silence for a bit before she spoke up. “I had no idea...this explains so much...so much of his behavior. Why didn’t he tell us, we could have helped him. We can still help him. Where is he?” Foggy had prepared for this and had his answers ready. “Lots of those feelings going around. I don’t know why he didn’t tell me he was struggling but I think it’s because if someone found out some of the serious stuff he was into it could get him disbarred. Hell, there might be a precedent for my disbarment for not turning him in. I guess he just didn’t trust me, or maybe he was just trying to protect me from having to watch and deal with the dilemma of deciding whether or not to turn him in. I don’t know I have no idea what goes on in that asshole head of his.” Anna grabbed a pillow that was sitting next to her on the couch and hugged it. “Where is he Franklyn?” Foggy shook his head. “I can’t tell you that.”  
Anna pushed her lips into a thin line and suddenly got very angry “WHERE IS HE I WANT TO SEE HIM!” Foggy shifted uncomfortably as his mom raised her voice.  
“I can’t tell you. I have his medical power of attorney and he didn’t give me permission to tell you.” Foggy was spewing complete bullshit of course. Having Matt’s medical power of attorney had nothing to do with this hypothetical situation whatsoever but nothing got people to shut up like spewing legal jargon followed by the words attorney client privilege. Anna stared him down “That’s bullshit Franklyn and you know it. I know what that means your legal jargon won’t scare me.” Foggy sighed  
“Can’t blame a guy for trying right? The truth is I know where he is but he told me not to tell you because he’s embarrassed and he doesn’t want you to see him in the state he’s in. He won’t even let me come see him, we've only spoken on the phone and he only called me like two nights ago. I think Daredevil taking down Fisk again got him thinking about me again.”  
Anna lowered her voice a little but not much. “Why is he embarrassed! We love him no matter what doesn’t he know that! Why would he do something like this? He’s throwing his legal career out the window, he worked so hard for that degree.” Foggy stood up and crossed to sit down next to his mom pulling her into a hug. “He knows you love him. As for why he’d do this? Well Matt’s had a shitty life and that’s putting it kindly. He lost his sight when he was practically a baby and then lost his dad less then a year later. To top it off the next night he’s in some strange orphanage surrounded by people he didn’t know crying himself to sleep. That’s just the first 9 years of the stuff he’s told me about and most of that was when he was tipsy and didn’t have a brain to mouth filter” Foggy turned his head and looked at his mom who was leaning into his side. “Did you know Matt had to identify his dad after he died? Feel his bloody messed up face and everything. I don’t even want to think about what that would do to a person or how you get the feeling of that out of your head.”  
Anna sat up shocked and disgusted. “I didn’t know that. How could the police make him do that?”  
Foggy shrugged. “Besides the fact that it pisses me off and is wrong on so many levels both legally and morally I don’t know. I think he heard the shot and just knew so he was the first one there. I don’t know. He only told me the whole story start to finish once and that was years ago. I also can’t imagine going to that funeral not being able to see and surrounded by people you don’t know. The point is Matt's life was shit before us and he hasn’t dealt with any of that. I’m just glad he honestly seems to finally be working through some of it.”  
Anna finally let herself start crying as she settled back into the couch. “How does he sound? Do you know when he’ll check himself out?” Foggy was ready for this question too. He hated that he had to treat his mom like she was the opposition, coming up with answers and rebuttals to every question she could possibly ask. He had felt sick to his stomach when he sat down to write down and come up with answers to any questions his mom might ask “I don’t really know. He sounded a lot better than he did during our fight, almost like his old self. I wouldn’t be surprised if the doctors told him he could leave in a week or two but I still don’t know if he’ll want me in his life when he does get out.” Anna looked at her son and put a smile on her face “I don’t know either, I hope he does and I hope he knows that he can confide in us.” Foggy smiled back. “I hope so too.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt tells his mom about his birth mom.

Matt stood outside the door of Nelson’s meats next to Foggy gripping his cane nervously. Foggy pulled him aside and looked at him. “You okay man?” Matt readjusted his glasses for something to do. “I’m just nervous about going in and seeing everyone again.” Foggy nodded and narrated as he did out of habit. “It’s going to be fine, do you want to go over the story again?” Matt put his cane on his foot bouncing it up and down nervously. “It sucks that I can’t drink in front of your family now.” Foggy laughed  
“Oh you poor baby, Matt having to make such big sacrifices. Just tell me the story.” Matt sighed and rolled his eyes. “You noticed I was acting weird and got mad about how much I was drinking.” Foggy nodded along as Matt continued on with the story. “Then you confronted me about it and found out I was doing drugs and had tried to kill myself a few times. We got into a huge fight about it and then I told you that you were out of my life and left ending the firm. After that you didn’t hear from me until I called you from rehab a week ago.” Foggy smiled and put his arm over Matt’s shoulder. “See you’ve got it man. It’s like you have practice keeping huge secrets.” Matt laughed  
“ If you substitute drugs with daredevil and rehab with childhood orphanage you basically have the true story”  
Foggy crossed his arms “Why do you think it's the story I came up with?” Matt sighed and went back to adjusting his glasses. “Any chance of coming up with a story that makes me look like less of an asshole?”  
Foggy snorted. “Yeah well the one lie is big enough. I love you man but you haven’t quite gotten past the asshole stage yet.” Matt returned the laugh and let Foggy guide them into the deli. When they entered Matt was met with a chorus of greetings as he walked through the door. “Hey Matty! How are those briefs holding up?” Matt smiled. This old joke. It would never die would it? “Uncle Timmy! Still stapled together.” Matt answered as he worked his way to a table pouring himself a drink forgetting he wasn’t supposed to drink in front of the Nelsons. Matt could feel the looks he was getting as we worked on his drink but Karen joined him a few seconds later stealing his drink. When Karen stole his drink Anna’s heart beat relaxed a bit. Right, just out of rehab oops. Matt was trying to think about how he would explain that to Anna when she pulled him aside but Foggy joined them a few seconds later bringing with him a breath of fresh air. Matt forgot about the impending conversation with Anna as he talked with his friends. They were playing with the idea of reopening the firm when they were ambushed by Foggy’s nieces and nephews running over and wrapping him in a hug sending his glasses onto the table. “MATT! Where have you been! Uncle Foggy said you were never coming back! Did you bring us candy this time!” Oh yeah he and Foggy had started the tradition of bringing candy for the kids whenever they came. It started because it was Foggy’s mission in life to be the cool uncle and he insisted Matt be along for the ride. Matt tried to feel the table for his glasses but his arms were pinned to his sides. “Hey Ruthy that's you right?” Ruthy hugged him tighter “Yes. Mary and Conner are here too.”  
Matt giggled “It’s my three musketeers! I’ve missed you!”  
“Did you bring us candy?” Conner asked as he walked over and started to reach into Matt’s coat pockets but only finding his phone,wallet and keys. “Not this time guys try Foggy I think he may be packing. You gonna let me go Ruthy?”  
Ruthy just hugged him tighter “We already tried uncle Foggy and I’m not letting you go until you answer my questions and give me my candy. Where were you?”  
Matt sighed “Okay that’s called extortion and this interview would never hold up in court.” Ruthy giggled at that “I was taking care of some adult stuff. Boring adult lawyer stuff.” he continued. Matt could tell that his answer didn’t satisfy Ruthy and was thinking about how to get her off the topic when Anna came to his rescue. “Ruthy let Matt go, you know he doesn’t like to have his glasses off.” Ruthy losing her bravery under her grandma’s stare let him go. “Sorry Matt, sorry grandma.” Matt reached out and grabbed Ruthy before she left “Hey it’s okay. I’ll bring you double the candy next time and we’re still teammates for Taboo right?” Ruthy wrapped Matt in another quick hug “Yes We're gonna dominate!” After that she ran off to join her cousins who had run away at their grandma’s appearance. “Speaking of boring adult stuff. Matt it’s nice to see you again.” Anna said, taking a seat next to Matt who found himself wrapped in yet another hug.  
“It’s nice to hear you again.” Matt joked, trying to break the awkward. The joke didn’t help and he didn’t know what to say not in front of everyone anyway. “Uh Anna I get the feeling that you want to go and talk in private?” As Anna let him go Matt could tell she was mad at him but was trying not to show it. “What gave you that idea?” Foggy put his arm around Matt’s shoulder “Uh Matt don’t we have that thing? At that time?” Matt smiled, he had to get this over with sometime. “No Foggy, it's okay. That obvious attempt at an exit can wait. Anna I think I know what you want to talk about should we go to the kitchen? Give me a chance to explain?” Anna found Matt’s glasses and touched his hand with them. “That sounds wonderful dear.” Matt took the glasses and put them on. Anna was always so nice to him and had never been nervous around him. He actually felt bad for keeping his secret from her but it was safer for him to lie about what he had to lie about. He hated it but he loved her and if it kept her safe he’d keep his secret. Matt stood up and grabbed his cane. “Lead the way?” Anna stood up as well taking Matt’s hand and guiding it to her arm. As Anna led them to the kitchen to talk in private Matt heard Foggy whisper something under his breath meant only for Matt to hear. “Good luck man”  
Matt couldn’t help but smirk a little as Anna led them back to the kitchen. As they entered Matt felt for a chair at the small table in the corner but his hand hit air. He tried his cane but there was nothing there. Anna guided him across the room and put his hand on the back of a chair at the table they had moved to the other side of the room. Matt had been lost in thought about what he was going to say and was being guided so he wasn’t paying attention and honestly hadn’t noticed. “Oh you moved the table... sorry.” Anna sat down and watched Matt feel for his seat. “Well you haven’t been back here for a while.” Matt finally sat down and started folding up his cane. “That’s true. I don’t get down here nearly as often as I should.”  
Anna nodded “Before we talk about what boring adult lawyer stuff really means I want you to know that I love you no matter what. You’re part of this family whether you like it or not and we don’t judge. We love, accept and help.” Matt started fiddling with the cross around his neck that he had started wearing again. “I know and I’m sorry. I haven’t been honest with you and you don’t deserve that.”  
Anna took Matt’s hands in her own. “We could start now. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?” Matt laughed and nodded as Anna let go of his hands.  
“Well, the truth is...” Matt said as his hands went back to fiddling with the cross around his neck. “The truth is I really haven’t been doing well.” Anna put her elbows on the table. “It seems like that might be an understatement.” Matt let out a small laugh “Tell me about it. So what did Foggy tell you?” Anna hmmmed and thought for a moment before she spoke. “That you put yourself in rehab for alcoholism and some more serious stuff but he wouldn't tell me what.”  
Matt nodded. “Yeah I was doing some really serious stuff, some of it illegal all of it stupid but I’m working on it I really am.”  
Anna poured them some water from a pitcher on the table. “Want to tell me what it was?” Matt shook his head “ Objection, my client pleads the fifth on grounds of self incrimination.” Anna chuckled, these boys had either been studying law or lawyers for years and their law jokes still got her. “Objection sustained.”  
Matt smiled. “Thanks. By not telling you it also gives you plausible deniability if it comes to a disbarment hearing.”  
Anna shook her head as she put a glass of water in front of him “Matty, if you honestly work on this and take care of yourself no one here is going to turn you in and you have doctor patient confidentiality from wherever you were.” Matt felt for the glass and took a drink. “Yeah I know that and I am working on it. I really am. It's just that there are people out there who know what I was doing.”  
Anna sighed “You think your dealers might turn you in?”  
Matt felt a surge of guilt as he responded. “No. I mean I really don’t think so but you never know.”  
“Well,” Anna thought as she put her head in her hands. “If it comes to that we’ll deal with it then. What I don’t understand is how did it get to this point Matt? Frank says you tried to kill yourself? What I don’t understand is why you didn’t come to us when it got to that point. You can always come to us.” Matt’s heart skipped a beat. Things were hitting a little too close to home now. He didn’t think Foggy knew he had really tried to kill himself otherwise he wouldn’t have put it in the story and he would have talked to him about it. “BECAUSE MY LIFE SUCKS AND DOING SOME OF THE SHIT I WAS DOING MADE IT SUCK LESS OKAY!” Matt surprised himself he really didn’t mean to yell. He heard Karen asking Foggy if they needed to intervene but Foggy said no, that he expected some yelling and was surprised they made it that long. Matt stopped listening “I’m sorry Anna you guys are like the one part of my life that doesn’t suck I just...” Matt was crying now as Anna took his hands again. “Matty dear you don’t need to be sorry at all.” Matt was still crying but he took his hand back to wipe his eyes and fiddle with his cross again. “It’s just so much. I feel like I’m in over my head sometimes you know? Why would God give me so much to deal with? Taking my sight and my dad and all of this shit?”  
“Because.” Anna whispered “He knows that with his help and the help of the people He put in your life you can deal with it.” Anna handed Matt a napkin which he took.  
“It’s not just that that has me in over my head. Did you know my birth mom found me?”  
Anna let out a huge gasp not bothering to hide it. “WHAT! HOW? WHEN!”  
Matt thought for a second before he spoke. “When I say she found me it’s more like I found her. She found me at rehab a few days before Fisk was arrested again. She was asking about me, tried to keep it a secret that she was there but I overheard. I don’t think she would have told me if I hadn’t heard.” Anna sat in silent shock for a second before she spoke “Did you talk to her?”  
Matt took a deep breath “A bit but no not really. Not about the important stuff. It gets even more complicated than just finding my mom.”  
Anna bit her lip and tilted her head. “I don’t understand?”  
Matt took a drink before he spoke again. “I recognized the voice, It was sister Maggie from St. Agnes.” Anna stayed silent so Matt continued. “St. Agnes the orphanage I grew up in. Sister Maggie was there the entire time nine blocks from where dad and I were. She didn’t even come to see me when this happened.” Matt gestured to his eyes as he kept talking. “Didn’t come when dad died either. From night one when I was screaming and crying myself to sleep she was just there, leaving me alone. In the almost nine years I was there she never told me, she just let me think that I was alone and no one wanted me. I just watched all of these kids going to foster families or getting adopted and my mom was right there...” Anna slammed her glass on the table causing it to shatter. “THAT BITCH!” Matt jumped at the sound of breaking glass and being splashed with water. “ I’m working on it but yeah, I feel the same way.” Anna was pinching the bridge of her nose and taking deep breaths trying to calm down. “This Maggie bitch thinks she has the right to come back into your life when you're at your lowest? How did she even know where you were?”  
Matt shrugged “I don’t know I think she had a friend who was in on it. Helped her keep tabs on me, I’m not sure.” Matt felt a wave of grief as he thought about Father Lantom and his funeral that was coming up. Because Father Lantom had helped raise Matt and people knew they were close he had been asked to give a eulogy which he hadn’t even started on. Anna must have seen Matt frown and slouch a little because she spoke up.  
“Do you want her in your life?” Matt sighed and took his glasses off so he could pinch the bridge of his nose. He was long past being self conscious about his eyes in front of Anna. “I really don’t know. I mean she’s known me since I was ten she already kind of is in my life.”  
“She doesn’t need to be.” Anna interjected. “You could cut her out of your life if you wanted, you need to do what's best for you and your mental health.”  
Matt rubbed his eyes, his hands running over the scars. “I don’t think I’m ready to do that. The conversations that we have had when I’ve known the truth were meaningful and hopeful. Growing up she may have been the strictest scariest Sister at St. Agnes who turned me in for fighting more than once but she cared about everyone.”  
Anna nodded as she listened. “It sounds like you want to make things work with this sister Maggie.”  
Matt put his glasses back on before he responded. “I do. I don’t think I’m ready to have her in my life. Not yet anyway but I don’t want to cut her out of it either.” Anna stood up and started to clean up the table as she responded. “Maybe you just need some time. Form a new relationship based on truth.”  
“Yeah” Matt sighed  
“But” Anna continued “What’s important right now is taking care of yourself. You don’t have to tell me anything but are you safe and do you have someone to talk to?”  
“Yeah.” Matt smiled “Yeah I think I do.”  
Matt may have to go to confession for all of the half truths he had told but he really did feel like he could trust Anna and he felt like he had finally made up his mind. He was going to talk to sister Maggie, he wanted her in his life.


End file.
